Table of Contents
Q.1. List at least ten guest room and ten bath room supplies.
GUEST ROOM SUPPLIES:
- A guest stationary folder with monogrammed note pads, envelopes post card with hotel picture and guest comment forms are placed on the table. A pen and A pencil is also placed alongside.
- A D.N.D. Card the reverse of which may be “please make up my room” card on the door knob on the inside of the door.
- A detailed map of fire exit is ideally affixing behind the door.
- The telephone and the service directory are placed on the table.
- A Small scribbling pad along with the pen are placed on the bed side table.
- The house-magazine or some tourist magazine and newspaper.
- Laundry bags and a laundry rate sheet are kept.
- Clothes hangers are hang on the hooks or hanging rod inside the cupboard.
- Swing or mending kit are kept on the drawer.
- A waste paper basket next to the writing table on the floor.
BATH ROOM SUPPLIES:
- Monogrammed soaps, shampoo bottles, moisturizers talc etc.
- Shower cap gurgle glass tissue box razor blades
- Dental kit.
- Shaving kit.
- A sanitary bin beside W.C. under the vanity corner.
- Bath towel and bath sheet on the towel rack.
- Hand towel and 2 face towel
- Bath mat.
- Hair Dryer
- Toilet-rolls
OR Explain the types of rooms available in hotels.
Different Room Types in Hotels:
In hotels the rooms are categorized and priced according to the type of bed, number of occupants, number of bed, decor, specific furnishings or features and nowadays special even the special theme available in the room. Following room type definitions are common in the hotel industry:
Single: A room assigned to one person. May have one or more beds. The room size or area of Single Rooms are generally between 37 m² to 45 m².
Double: A room assigned to two people. May have one or more beds. The room size or area of Double Rooms are generally between 40 m² to 45 m².
Triple: A room that can accommodate three persons and has been fitted with three twin beds, one double bed and one twin bed or two double beds. The room size or area of Triple Rooms are generally between 45 m² to 65 m².
Quad: A room assigned to four people. May have two or more beds. The room size or area of Quad Rooms are generally between 70 m² to 85 m².
Queen: A room with a queen-sized bed. May be occupied by one or more people. The room size or area of Queen Rooms are generally between 32 m² to 50 m².
King: A room with a king-sized bed. May be occupied by one or more people. The room size or area of King Rooms are generally between 32 m² to 50 m².
Twin: A room with two twin beds. May be occupied by one or more people. The room size or area of Twin Rooms are generally between 32 m² to 40 m².
Hollywood Twin Room: A room that can accommodate two persons with two twin beds joined together by a common headboard. Most of the budget hotels tend to provide many of these room settings which cater both couples and parties in two. The room size or area of Hollywood Twin Rooms are generally between 32 m² to 40 m².
Double Double: A Room with two double (or perhaps queen) beds. And can accommodate two to four persons with two twin, double or queen-size beds. The room size or area of Double Double/Double Twin rooms are generally between 50 m² to 70 m².
Studio: A room with a studio bed- a couch which can be converted into a bed. May also have an additional bed. The room size or area of Studio room types are generally between 25 m² to 40 m².
Suite/Executive Suite: A parlor or living room connected with to one or more bedrooms. (A room with one or more bedrooms and a separate living space. The room size or area of Suite rooms are generally between 70 m² to 100 m².
Mini Suite or Junior Suite: A single room with a bed and sitting area. Sometimes the sleeping area is in a bedroom separate from the parlor or living room. The room size or area of Junior Suites are generally between 60 m² to 80 m².
President Suite/Presidential Suite: The most expensive room provided by a hotel. Usually, only one president suite is available in one single hotel property. Similar to the normal suites, a president suite always has one or more bedrooms and a living space with a strong emphasis on grand in-room decoration, high-quality amenities and supplies, and tailor-made services (e.g. personal butler during the stay). The room size or area of Presidential Suites are generally between 80 m² to 350 m².
Apartments/Room for Extended Stay: This room type can be found in service apartments and hotels which target for long stay guests. Open kitchens, cooking equipment, dryer, washer etc. are usually available in the room. Housekeeping services are only provided once in a week or two times in a week. The room size or area of Serviced Apartments are generally between 96 m² to 250 m².
Connecting Rooms: Rooms with individual entrance doors from the outside and a connecting door between. Guests can move between rooms without going through the hallway. The room size or area of Connecting rooms are generally between 30 m² to 50 m².
Murphy Room: A room that is fitted with a sofa bed or a Murphy bed (i.e. a bed that folds out of a wall or closet) which can be transformed from a bedroom in the night time to a living room in daytime. The room size or area of Murphy Room Types are generally between 20 m² to 40 m².
Accessible Room/Disabled Room: This room type is mainly designed for disabled guests and it is required by law that hotels must provide a certain number of accessible rooms to avoid discrimination. The room size or area of Accessible Room Types are generally between 30 m² to 42 m².
Cabana: This type of room is always adjoining to the swimming pool or have a private pool attached to the room. The room size or area of Cabana Room Types are generally between 30 m² to 45 m².
Adjoining Rooms: Rooms with a common wall but no connecting door. The room size or area of Adjoining Room Types are generally between 30 m² to 45 m².
Adjacent Rooms: Rooms close to each other, perhaps across the hall. The room size or area of Adjacent Room Types are generally between 30 m² to 45 m².
Villa: A special form of accommodation which can be found in some resort hotels. It is a kind of stand-alone house which gives extra privacy and space to hotel guests. A fully equipped villa contains not only bedrooms and a living room but a private swimming pool, Jacuzzi and balcony. It is suitable for couples, families and large groups. The room size or area of Villa’s are generally between 100 m² to 150 m².
Executive Floor/Floored Room: A room located on the ‘executive floor’ which enables convenient access to the executive lounge. Besides, some hotels also provide ‘female executive floors’ with their rooms assigned to female guests only due to safety and security reasons. The room size or area of Executive Floor are generally between 32 m² to 50 m².
Smoking/Non-Smoking Room: Many hotels provide both smoking and non-smoking rooms for their guests. In order to minimize the effects of secondhand smoke exposure on non-smoking guests.
Q.2. Draw the layout of a standard guest room.
1. Door
2. Ward robe
3. Mini Fridge
4. Luggage Rack
5. T V Credenza
6. Window/Mirror
7. Study Table
8. Chair
9. Coffee Table
10.Sofa
11.Bed Side Table
12.Bed
13.Bed Side Table
14.Vanity Counter
15.W C
16.Bath tub
17.Shower Cubicle
OR Explain how will you organize “Front of the House” and “Back of the House” area cleaning?
FRONT OF THE AREAS: Establishing and maintaining housekeeping procedures for public area is just as important as it is for guest rooms. The housekeeping needs of public areas vary considerably among properties because of:
- Architectural differences
- Lobbies space allocation
- Activities and
- Guest traffic
Among the front of the house areas that need daily housekeeping attention are entrances, lobbies, including front desk area,
corridors, elevators, public rest rooms, and swimming pool and exercise rooms.
ENTRANCE: Matting and runners- These are placed near entrances and can reduce the entry of mud, foot prints, and outside dirt and can protect guests from slips and falls. An attendant should be assigned to see that the runners and matting are lying flat, should be vacuumed daily and the entrances should have mopped and tidied throughout the day. In rainy season it demands that runners and matting be frequently mopped or changed.
LOBBIES: Lobbies require continual cleaning both because they are heavy traffic areas and because they are the gateways of the hotel. Many lobbies are a hub of activity where guest check in, socialize, relax. Properties generally schedule thorough cleaning for the late night and early morning hours. The guests will not face inconvenience and the staff can clean with little or no interference, some cleaning tasks, however, must be performed during day light hours to maintain lobby aesthetics. The hotels assign a lobby attendant to keep the area clean and attend to cleaning
FRONT DESK: Front desk cleaning must be scheduled during low traffic hrs to avoid interrupting the flow of business. The front desk area should be cleaned with the same degree of attention as the lobby since it is such a pivotal area for shaping the guest experience. Front desk vary in design, some properties incorporate simple, straight forward design into their décor while others opt for more elaborate fluted, curved or grooved surfaces. Whether rectangular or round, smooth or textured, every front desk needs the careful attention of the public area attendant to maintain a spotless appearance.
ELEVATORS: Elevators require frequent cleaning because of their volume of use. As with the lobby and front desk area, the best time to clean elevators is late at night or very early in the morning to avoid high-traffic periods. In the daytime if cleaning is in progress staff should always put “CLEANING IN PROGRESS” board next to elevator.
STAIRCASES: Staircases should be thoroughly cleaned when the traffic is low.. Sweeping of floors should be done towards the wall side. Daily cleaning tasks include, “Carpets should be suction cleaned and damp mopped if hard flooring is there and damp dust the skirting”.
CORRIDORS: Corridor floors are covered with durable, attractive carpet designed for easy care and maintenance.
Daily cleaning tasks involve:
- Floors should be vacuumed at least once a day based on guest traffic and occupancy.
- Light fixtures should be dusted and any burned out light bulbs replaced
- Sprinklers should be dusted and checked for proper functioning.
- Attendants should note the condition of emergency exit lights and reports any damage to his her supervisor.
- Spot clean the wall for smudges and footprints
BACK OF THE HOUSE AREAS: These days Back of the house is referred to as Heart of the house. These are the areas which are not visited by the guest. For example: administrative offices, stores, linen room, staff locker, cafeteria, time office, etc. A property that ensures that employees have a safe, clean and pleasant environment in which to work, eat take breaks or go to the bathroom will gain the respect and loyalty of those employees.
- Cleaning of these offices is done in the morning on a daily basis (esp. at the time of morning meeting when the managers are in meeting their offices are cleaned). While cleaning the HK needs to make sure that the important files or papers are not disturbed by them. Under the desk needs to be vacuumed.
- Staff locker needs to be attended on a frequent basis.
- Cafeteria needs to be cleaned after tea/ coffee breaks, lunch & dinner
Although each employee does his/ her part in maintaining the neatness of the back of the house areas, the responsibility of heavy duty cleaning tasks rests with the house keeping staff. Housekeeping attendants will see that employee areas are free from dirt, grime and dust by adhering to a cleaning schedule that is as carefully devised as that for cleaning the front of the house.
Back of the house areas are generally made to withstand more wear and tear
- Floors – stain resistant e.g. tiles, kota stone
- Walls and ceilings – smooth, without complicated angles and hard to reach areas.
Procedure for cleaning back of the house areas are the same as front of the house areas. But the attendants find it easier to clean back of the house areas because of
- Smoother surfaces
- Less ornate furniture/ furniture and fixtures have simple designs.
- Well set time schedules
Use of heavy duty cleaning equipment’s speeds up the cleaning tasks.
Q.3. Explain the importance of “Lost and Found” procedure in hotels.
Lost and Found is often overlooked as a customer service component that can make or break brand loyalty. It is often the forgotten customer service factor in the Hospitality Industry. Lost and Found should be as important, efficient and customer service oriented as your Front Desk staff.
Providing your customers with the best possible experience when they lose a personal item starts with establishing written procedures detailing the lost and found process
OR Explain the importance of formats and record keeping.
Q.4. Explain types of beds used in hotels.
TYPES OF BEDS:
- Platform Bed: Platform bed is a simple wooden or metal platform on which a mattress is placed. Because there is no box spring, it is usually very low set.
- Box Bed is a bed having the form of a large box with wooden roof, sides, and ends, opening in front with two sliding panels or shutters; often used in cottages in Scotland
- Zed Bed: Zed bed gets its name from their three part folded frame resembling the letter Z. It is a bed whose frame folds’ order to be more easily stored and moved. Sometimes also referred to as camp beds.
- A Roll-Away Bed(Cot) is similar to a zed bed but has castor wheels /rollers. They can also be folded in half and easily stored.
- Murphy Bed/SICO Bed/Wall Cupboard Bed: Space saving bed. These beds come in handy when rooms are let more than once in 24 hours, for meetings by day and a bedroom at night. This way the staff need not undertake the task of converting the room from one purpose to the other. Bed folds during day & unfolds when needed. There are two main styles of Murphy Beds:
- The Original Panel where the whole bed simple folds down from wall in one go
- The Bi-Fold/Closet Style where doors are first opened & bed folded out from within.
- Baby Cot/Crib: is a small bed with metallic raised frames on all sides to protect small children/ infants from falling off. These are available as guest loan item and are usually collapsible to save storage space.
- Sofa Bed: Popular form of space bed. It is a multi-functional piece of furniture that can be used as a seat during the day & bed at night.
- Trundle Bed: Space saving bed on wheels or casters that slides underneath another bed when not use. When needed it can be slide out & dressed. Does not have a box spring. It can be stored beneath a twin bed also sometimes referred to as a “sleepover bed”.
- Hammock: it is a piece of suspended fabric. Hammock is a temporary, portable sling made from either rope or fabric. The two ends of the bed are tied to fixed points – usually.
- Air Bed: Uses an air inflated mattress
- Canopy Bed: Also known as four poster beds in U.K. Name refers to any bed which is covered by a cloth Canopy. They have a canopy frame above them from which fabric will drape which is usually rectangular.
- Futon Bed: Is a traditional Japanese bed. It refers to a thin mattress laid on for sleeping & then rolled up. In west refers to particular style of sofa bed usually consists of wood or metal frame & a thin mattress with a cover. Used as bed at night or as a Sofa.
- Bunker Bed: Two or more beds one on top of each other.
- Loft Bed/Chest Bed/Cabin Bed: A space saving bed. Basic form is just a raised bed. Space underneath is left empty & can be used to store. This is similar to a bunk bed, except there isn’t a lower bunk. This leaves space underneath for storage, other furniture, etc.
- Adjustable bed is a bed that can be adjusted to a number of different positions
- Bassinet is a bed specifically for newborn infants.
- Sleigh Bed: Sleigh bed refers to aesthetic design of bed. It has a headboard that is larger than footboard. Both head & Foot board are curved with top rolling slightly outward. Most commonly found in wood.
- A Vibrating Bed is typically a coin-operated novelty found in a vintage motel. For a fee, the mattress vibrates for duration of time. Alternatively, it is a modern bed which vibrates by use of an off-center motor. It is controlled by electronics for varying time and amplitude settings and is used therapeutically to ease back pains.
- Water Bed: Uses Water filled mattress.
OR Explain construction of a mattress with a neat diagram.
Some constructions methods are
Open Coil: This is the oldest type of coil, and still the most widely used. Adapted from the design used to make seats in buggies in the 19th century, this type of coil is hourglass shaped, and joined to the coils next to it by small wire spirals known as helical.
Off Set Coil Mattress: This coil type is like the open coil, but it has as squared off head as opposed to a round one. This allows the mattress to contour better than with the traditional circular coil head of the open coil. The coils in this system are more cylindrical than the open coil, making them more durable than their predecessors. Mattresses with these coils are usually found in better, high end sets, than other coil types.
Pocket Coil Mattress: This type of coil contains cylindrical springs that are each individually wrapped in fabric pockets. The construction of these types of mattresses is designed to provide the best contour possible (this is why this coil type is best for those who tend to sleep on their sides). Since the springs are not linked in the same way as open coil or offset coil springs are, you will feel your partner move much less than you would with other coil types. However, this also means that since each coil takes all of the weight that is put onto it by itself, and with no support from surrounding coils, the coils will provide less support for heavier people.
Continuous Coil Mattress: The continuous coil is made of rows of single wires attached to each other by helical. The idea behind this design is that each coil deflects a larger percentage of the weight on it to other coils surrounding it, meaning less stress is put on each coil. Consequently, you’ll find these mattresses may keep their shape longer, causing these mattresses to have a longer lifespan than other innerspring categories.
Q.5. What are pests? Why is their control important?
A pest is any animal or plant which has a harmful effect on humans, their food or their living conditions. Pests include animals which: carry disease-causing micro-organisms and parasites.
TYPES OF PESTS:
- INSECTS-COCKROACH, TERMITE, BEETLE, FLEAS
- ANTHROPODS-SPIDER, ANTS. TICKS
- RODENTS-RAT, MICE
- MICROBIAL ORGANISMS – BACTERIA
IMPORTANCE OF PEST CONTROL: Beyond its use in homes, pest management is very important for us for a number of reasons. Here are some of those reasons:
- One of the most important reasons why pest control is needed is because of health. Pests can bring diseases that can be quite serious. One of the most serious epidemics, the bubonic plague which caused millions of death in the World in Medieval times came from rats and other rodent pests. Cockroaches and other pests can also carry germs into their body. That should be your main concern when it comes to having pests in your home.
- Pests can have an impact on production and resources. This is the main reason why pest control is vital to in agriculture and other industries. Sometimes pests can be such a huge problem that they will seriously affect the production of one industry. They can wipe out production and bring it down to zero if they are not controlled.
- Aside from the damage that they can do to resources and production, they can also cause some serious damage to the existing structure and things. Sometimes the damage can be so severe that a whole structure would be rendered useless because of it, like in cases where termites have eaten away at a wooden structure.
- Then there is also the fact that pest control is needed in order to keep appearances. Whether it is a home or an office, having pests running around is never going to be a good thing. It would have to be taken care of.
Q.6. Discuss areas of pests’ infestation in a hotel and preventive measures.
General Preventive Measures:
- A clean well-ventilated environment cuts down the possibility of pests.
- Remove waste as early as possible.
- Periodic and spring cleaning.
- Good building maintenance.
- Eliminating potential breeding sites
- Pest control
- Self
- On Contract-Usually hotels hire professional pest control companies on the service contract. These companies visit the premises on a regular basis and check for any problem areas and take preventive measures.
- Frequency of pest control
- Alternate days – spraying of insecticides – open areas
- Fortnightly –spraying of insecticide – In front of the house, back of the house and floors
- Once in six months/ year – Fumigation – entire areas including rooms and kitchens
- If at any time, there are signs of infestation special treatment is done in the specified area to prevent its spread.
- Flies, mosquitoes, ants and moths can be killed with spray insecticides. This can be done when the guest is not there in the room and well before service in bars and restaurants. Entry to these is also prevented by double doors at all entrances and exits. Also, use of air curtains.
- Spray of special insecticides against flying and crashing insects.
- Fumigation at regular intervals eliminate the pest
- Against mosquitoes there are small electric machines which heat up; a special tablet placed on it gives off a vapour that kills them.
- On terraces, one can use mosquito coils.
- Curtain open-air restaurants supply a spray which one can spray on legs or arms to deter mosquitoes.
- Hotels with large gardens usually spray the garden areas against flies in the morning and against the mosquitoes in the evening.
Q.7. (A) Explain types of keys used in hotels.
Types of Keys:
Emergency Key:
- Opens all doors in the property, even double locked
- E Key overrides the catch or deadbolt put on by the guest
- Should be well protected
- Stored in a secure place such as hotel safe, or metal cabinet
- GM or Security Officer have the access
- Used in case of emergency such as fire
Master Keys:
Grand Master Key:
- Opens all the guest rooms and often all HK Storage room
- Can be used in Emergency situation when it is vital for a manager to enter some area
- It is kept under lock & key at front desk
- Can open Double Lock
Master Key/ Pass Key;
- Kept with the Asst. Housekeeper/ Deputy Housekeeper
- Open all the guest rooms except Double Lock
Floor Master Key:
- Open the rooms in a floor
- Cannot open Double Lock
- Floor keys are carried by the supervisor assigned to a floor
Section/Sub Floor Master Key:
- Open rooms in one Work Section
- Cannot open Double Lock
- Assigned to HK attendant cleaning one section
Guest Room Keys:
- Issued to guest upon their registration
- Opens single guest room
- Cannot open Double Lock
- Guest are asked to hand in their keys at the time of check out
- Keys are stored at the front desk in the key rack (away from the view of passerby)
Supply Key:
- Used within the service sector of the hotel
(b) Explain special provisions for a VIP room.
V.I.P. are getting extra facilities in all the hotels and also get a very carefully checked rooms. Usually Deputy house-keeper does this checking. All the V.I.P. gets absolutely the best treatment possible. It must be remembered that the gives away for VIP Amenities in Hotel vary from company to company and even from hotels to hotels.
Some hotels even give a small basket of fruit to all arrivals as VIP Amenities and Items, which is very nice gesture. Some hotels supplies chocolates and cookies along with the fruit basket. A big bouquet of flower is also given to the V.I.P. rooms. Bath sheet and bath blanket is given to the V.I.P. rooms.
The housekeeping department is informed daily from the reception about V.I.P. arrival and V.I.P.s already in the house One tries to get the V.I.P. room ready as quick as possible.
Q.8. Give one-line answer for the following:
(a) Guest Loan Item: These supplies are only delivered when a guest request for any item on a receipted loan basis.
(b) Ergonomics: the scientific study of people and their working conditions, especially done in order to improve effectiveness
(c) Furniture Glides: Furniture glides are a great way to keep your chairs and tables level and your floors protected from scrapes and scratches. Glides for table or chair feet are a must when your furniture is made of metal. Moving metal furniture legs over and over can cut into your flooring and leave unsightly scratches or gashes.
(d) SICO Bed: Space saving bed. These beds come in handy when rooms are let more than once in 24 hours, for meetings by day and a bedroom at night. This way the staff need not undertake the task of converting the room from one purpose to the other. Bed folds during day & unfolds when needed.
(e) Eradication: Eradication is the elimination of every single individual of a species from an area to which recolonization is unlikely to occur.
(f) E-Key: The emergency key opens all guestroom doors, even when they are double locked.
(g) Sani Bin: Metal bin with a lit kept in wash room for throwing of disposed toilet rolls.
(h) White Ant: White ant is a commonly used name for a termite, pale-colored, soft-bodied, chiefly tropical, social insects of the order Isopteran that feed on wood, some being highly destructive to buildings, furniture, etc. Also called white ant.
(i) Bidet: It is type of WC, a low oval basin used for washing.
(j) Jacuzzi: a large bath with a system of underwater jets of water to massage the body.
Q.9. Draw the layout for the following:
(a) Maids Report and Room Status Report
(b) Room Occupancy Report
| Room Occupancy Report | |||||||
| Room No. | Room Type | Guest Name | Adult | Child | No. of Nights | Turn Over Date | H/K Status |
(c) Lost and Found Register
| Lost And Found Register | |||||||||
| S.No. | Date | Item | Description | Found
By |
Found
By |
Picked
Up By |
Address | Contact
No. |
Sign |
(d) Call Register/Guest Message Register
| Guest Message Register
Date: |
||||||||
| Room No. | Time Of Request | Nature of Request | Received by | Signature | Action Taken | Time | Service completed | Time |
Q.10. Match the following:
| S.NO. | ANSWER | |
| 1. | OOO | OUT OF ORDER |
| 2. | GRUBS | Larvae of insects |
| 3. | Linen chute | Passage in the form of tunnel for sending soiled linen to the laundry |
| 4. | Log book | Important register in housekeeping department used to pass information or message to another shift staff |
| 5. | BUP | Light service given to the room, also known as “Touch up” service |
| 6. | PARASITE | An animal or plant depends upon another support and nourishment
|
| 7. | LANAI | Rooms overlooking landscaped area, a scenic view of a water body or a garden, may have a balcony
|
| 8. | CREDENZA | Side board in guest room |
| 9.. | SCANTY BEGGAGE | Guest with very light luggage |
| 10. | G.R.E. | Guest Relation Executive |